Home improvement projects are taxing for most homeowners due to the amount of time and effort they need to invest in handling such tasks. Kitchens and bathrooms require frequent renovation, given the everyday wear and tear in the form of broken tiles, obsolete appliances, dysfunctional lighting, peeling paint, and numerous other signs of damage.
Instead of using your DIY skills, make sure you hire the professional assistance of a home renovation contractor. Nowadays, there are numerous home improvement companies, such as hiarhomes.com, which specialize in custom kitchen and bathroom renovations. The right contractor is supposed to be licensed, insured, punctual, as well as reputable.
We hope the following tips will help you hire the right home improvement company.
Get recommendations
Getting recommendations is the primary step of your quest for hiring the right renovation company for your bathroom or kitchen remodeling project. Make sure you compile an extensive list of local home improvement companies, equipped with the required expertise. You can create the start list in multiple ways, ranging from personal recommendations to checking online reviews.
It’s important to consult some homeowners who recently had their remodeling projects completed by a local contractor. Think of all your friends, colleagues, or neighbors that might have mentioned renovating their bathrooms and kitchens not long ago. These are undoubtedly the best people to consult when it comes to receiving useful recommendations.
Additionally, it’s important to narrow down your research to the type of services that match your specific requirements. Consequently, you’ll eliminate all of the local contractors that fail to fit your needs. Use the power of social media and online reviews to get familiar with the general opinion of local residents about the home improvement companies in your area.
Nevertheless, take no notice of renovation companies that have no online presence, such as having no official site, a social media page, or any online reviews of their services. Click here to learn why all businesses are required to have an online presence.
Look for portfolios
The renovation company you hire is supposed to specialize in the type of remodeling project you need. For instance, when planning to renovate your kitchen, make sure you look for local contractors that are experts in choosing the right kitchen cabinets, designing the perfect kitchen island, or selecting the ideal paint for the kitchen walls. In contrast, when planning a bathroom remodeling project, look for contractors that specialize in making bathrooms both nice-looking and energy-efficient.
Moreover, contact each home improvement company on your shortlist to provide you with a portfolio, which contains some of their best remodeling projects. These contractors provide homeowners with either physical or virtual portfolios, posted on their sites. Regardless of the form, the portfolio should consist of a minimum of ten projects.
Naturally, these portfolios are expected to contain photographs of every step of the renovation process; before, during, and after the remodeling. Stay away from contractors that include no photos of homes before the project or ones that include blurry pictures of kitchen cabinets and bathroom elements.
Check licensing
The following step of your journey should be looking for licensing and certification. Each home improvement contractor on your shortlist is supposed to have the right license that complies with the corresponding state legal requirements.
In addition to being properly licensed, renovation companies are expected to provide homeowners with liability insurance and their employees with workers’ compensation. Consequently, you won’t be held financially responsible for any property damage or worker’s injury that might occur in the course of the project.
Ask for references
After narrowing down the selection of local renovation contractors to no more than five candidates, it’s time to ask for references. Each company is obliged to provide a reference list with no less than ten previous clients, including their names, phone numbers, addresses, and the project completion dates.
Furthermore, you aren’t required to contact all the names on the list but make sure you get in touch with at least half of them. Writing down notes during the conversation with every candidate will prove helpful for making a better comparison. Asking the right questions is crucial for getting a general idea about the punctuality, professionalism, and work quality of all contractors.
Check finished projects
Calling the references of candidates would help you even further in narrowing down the list. The ultimate step should be reviewing some of the completed projects of the most promising candidates in person. Make sure you review projects that are almost identical to yours, which were completed in the past couple of years. There’s no point in reviewing a living room project when planning a kitchen renovation.
Additionally, look for potential red flags when inspecting the previous work of the most favorable home improvement contractors. In the case of bathroom renovations, look for possible wall stains, broken tiles, or poor lighting. Regarding kitchen remodels, keep your eyes open for potential countertop seams, an impractical layout of appliances, or insufficient storage space.
When it comes to painting, look for any splatters, overspray, stains, and discolorations. Additionally, blotchy or blistered paint is another common sign of a bad interior paint job. Visit the following link, https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/planning/10-red-flags-to-fire-contractor1.htm, to check out some important red flags to notice when hiring a contractor.
Final word
Your kitchen and bathroom deserve the most attention.
Hire the right contractor to give them a brand new look!
Posted by PreReal™ Prendamano Real Estate on
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